This article will compare the best sports massage courses in the UK, examining factors such as accreditations, reviews and career services, to ensure you get the best value for your money. Specifically, we’ll cover:
Contents:
- The Best Sports Massage Courses in the UK Compared
- What Factors Legitimise The Best Sports Massage Courses?
- Get Value For Your Money When Choosing an SMT Course
- The Best Sports Massage Courses in the UK Provide Practical Experience
- The Best Sports Massage Courses Will Have Quality Virtual Learning Resources
- Tutors Play an Integral Role in the Best Sports Massage Courses
- The Best Sports Massage Course Providers Will Offer Career Support
- Location Can Determine What SMT Course is Best For You
- The Best Sports Massage Courses Will Have Good Reviews
However, if you already have your mind set on a training course provider and are curious about the next steps, read our detailed guide on ‘How to Become a Sports Massage Therapist’.
You can also enquire about our Level 3 Sports Massage Therapy Course today or download our prospectus to find out why we’re one of the highest rated course providers in the UK!
The Best Sports Massage Courses in the UK Compared
The first thing you should do when deciding on the best sports massage courses in the UK is to conduct wider research on a range of training providers. This means you shouldn’t just settle on the cheapest option or one with high reviews.
It’s important to have a well rounded overview of different courses so you can truly find the right qualification for you. Examples of things you should ask when looking at sports massage courses include:
- How much is it?
- Is the course regulated?
- Do you get practical experience?
- Are there packages offered?
- Is there post course support?
- What are the reviews like?
To help with your decision, we’ve conducted research into 6 of the best sports massage courses and their providers, focusing on the questions we’ve listed above:
We’ll examine these factors in more detail below, highlighting why they are important for the overall quality of a personal training course.
What Factors Legitimise The Best Sports Massage Courses?
When researching the best sports massage courses in the UK, there are various factors which help confirm whether these courses meet industry standards. Let’s break these down!
#1 – Awarded by Focus Awards
In the UK, there are 4 major awarding bodies or governing bodies for the health and fitness industry:
- Focus Awards
- YMCA Awards
- Active IQ
- NCFE
The majority of the fitness industry are certified by these awarding bodies. When your course is completed, the awarding body will appear on your certificate.
The best sports massage course will always be awarded by legitimate governing bodies. While employers don’t prioritise one awarding body over another, they will certainly check the legitimacy of your qualification when hiring you.
#2 – Ofqual Regulation
Ofqual (the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) is similar to the organisation Ofsted. It is responsible for regulating all vocational training qualifications in the UK.
Although individual training providers deliver the qualification, Ofqual sets out:
- The content of the course
- How the course is taught
- How students are assessed
- How the curriculum is set out
The reason for this is to ensure consistency across the fitness industry. This is so whichever provider a student chooses, they can be assured the education standard of their course meets the national standard. For example, a Level 3 Sports Massage Course will always be ‘Level 3’.
As all awarding bodies must report to Ofqual, these are then catalogued in their official registry as you can see below:
This registry is crucial for checking whether your chosen qualification is considered among the best sports massage courses in the UK.
#3 – Why Are These Factors Important?
If your qualification isn’t regulated by Ofqual, it’s unlikely employers will consider it legitimate. This is because employers will specifically ask for a Level 3 qualification such as this job advertisement from Willow Chiropractic below:
The qualification being labelled ‘Level 3’ shows it’s a legitimate course and adheres to the highest standards of the health and fitness industry.
Get Value For Your Money When Choosing an SMT Course
When researching the best sports massage courses in the UK, it’s important to take your own financial situation into consideration when settling on a provider such as the ones shown below:
As you can see, OriGym is on the lower end of pricing. However, while FitAsylum has the lowest price, they have the lowest number of reviews.
You should keep in mind, cheaper doesn’t always mean better. If something is too good to be true, it usually is! The factors mentioned in the table earlier are reasons why some courses are more expensive than others.
Quality of the learning materials, study options, and post course support are all factors which influence the price of a sports massage course.
However, more expensive courses don’t always reflect the quality of the course either. More expensive providers will often accept government ‘Advanced Learner Loans’ as funding. While some students feel this makes the price justified, this will come at an additional cost.
Check The SMT Course Providers Payment Plan Options
You should be aware, the best sports massage will offer payment plans to make their courses more affordable. This allows you to spread the cost of the course and repay in manageable chunks rather than pay for it upfront in one go.
As we at OriGym want health and fitness education to be accessible for all, we have the option of payment plans. However, not all providers offer this so you should be aware of having to pay a lump sum.
Quality Sports Massage Courses Will Never Hide Fees
Even some of the best sports massage course providers will have hidden fees. These can be extra costs depending on the provider, but may include:
- Exams
- Resits
- Certification Fees
- Administration Fees
At OriGym, we offer free unlimited resits for our students and no hidden fees, meaning the price of the course is exactly what you’ll pay!
The Best Sports Massage Courses in the UK Provide Practical Experience
During your research of the best sports massage course providers, you should consider ones with practical experience which is very important with a practice like sports massage therapy.
The best course providers will offer workshops to develop these skills as gaining practical experience is necessary to develop your knowledge.
For example, OriGym offers unlimited workshops, to ensure our students are more than equipped with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to succeed in this industry.
The Best Sports Massage Courses Will Have Quality Virtual Learning Resources
You should also examine the quality of learning materials for the course providers you’re interested in. When studying, you’ll want a course which keeps you engaged and this is often done by having a range of materials.
Engaging materials such as videos, online lectures, and interactive eLearning highlight the quality of a course. At OriGym, students learn through our award nominated eLearning platform ‘Student Zone’.
By providing different materials, we aim to keep our students engaged, making it much more likely they will build and consolidate their knowledge.
Tutors Play an Integral Role in the Best Sports Massage Courses
The best sports massage courses will be taught by fully qualified and experienced professionals who have worked in the industry. Having qualified professionals who have also been through the same journey as their students is crucial.
Tutors will be able to provide more support and understand exactly what students need to succeed as they can draw from their own experiences. For example, all tutors at OriGym have qualifications in the subjects they teach as well as previous industry work experience.
You will also want to have plenty of support from your tutors and be able to reach out to them regarding your studies.
At OriGym, our students can contact tutors 7 days a week through:
- Phone
- Chatbox
This is why it’s important to check with the level of support even the best sports massage courses provide as this can make a difference between passing and failing your course!
The Best Sports Massage Course Providers Will Offer Career Support
Not only should you research the quality of the course itself but it’s also important to see what support you receive post qualifying. The best sports massage courses will not only provide quality education but also career services to help graduates succeed in the future.
It’s important to prepare students for their career which is why OriGym offers:
- Mock interviews
- Free marketing & business course
- CV analysis and distribution
- Alumni discounts on industry-leading products
- Guaranteed job interviews with corporate partners
Check out our table below to see what career services you’ll receive from each provider and who will prepare you for success:
As you can see, there’s reasons as to how we’ve helped 92% of OriGym students find employment after graduating.
Location Can Determine What SMT Course Is Best For You
Where a course is located is important to consider when researching the best sports massage courses in the UK. As practical experience is crucial for developing your skills and knowledge, you’ll want a provider with multiple accessible locations.
Some providers may only have one fixed location, making it more difficult for students to attend sessions. For example, if you’re looking for the best sports massage course in London, you’ll want locations which are easy to reach, especially if you’re attending multiple workshops or assessments.
For example, OriGym has multiple UK locations, reducing the distance our students need to travel for their practical sessions.
The Best Sports Massage Courses Will Have Good Reviews
A great way to gain an overall understanding of the quality of a sports massage course provider is to check out company reviews. This allows you to receive first hand accounts of a student’s experience and how they found the course.
To find accurate reviews, you should check impartial sites such as:
To leave reviews on these sites, you have to be a verified customer, meaning the amount of false information is limited. Comparing the best sports massage courses in the UK through reviews means you can see how popular a provider is.
For example, take a look at our comparison table below:
As you can see, OriGym has nearly 4,000 reviews with a score of 4.9 on Trustpilot, making us the highest-rated training provider in the UK.
Before You Go!
When it comes to comparing the best sports massage courses, you should settle on a provider who equips you with the necessary services to ensure success in the industry.
Get started with our Level 3 Sports Massage Course today if you not only want to qualify with a reputable course provider but join the 92% of our graduates who go on to find work in the industry.
Learn more about our qualifications by downloading our complete course prospectus here.
